Wednesday, December 5, 2018

Romantic Holiday Reading

As we move closer to the holidays and start choosing books for gift giving, or books we can read while collapsing in our comfy chairs after shopping all day, we'll be looking at some wonderful choices for our reading pleasure.  There's nothing quite like relaxing with hot chocolate and a good book when we want to just kick back and read after the craziness of crowds and shopping chaos. Today we start with a wonderful offering that is both fun and romantic. The book is Learning to Love by Jennifer Wilck.

Dina Jacobs is a single librarian who has never fit in due to her off-the charts intelligence., frizzy hair, and rounder-than-socially acceptable figure. She left her past behind until she receives an initiation to her ten year high school reunion, and all her insecurities return. 

Adam Mandel is a single corporate attorney who just missed his third deadline at his father's law firm, the law firm where he is up for junior partner. With his reputation on the line, Adam needs all the help he can get to convince his father that he deserves the promotion. When Dina and Adam run into each other on a deserted road, Dina thinks Mr. Flashypants can't possibly be interested in someone like her. Adam thinks Dina is just the person to help him improve his reputation. Lies and insecurities force them to take a look at themselves. Can they trust each other to look beyond the surface?

Sounds like an intriguing dilemma, doesn't  it? I wanted to ask Adam and Dina more about their situation. Sio, let's talk to them.


Dina, what do you like or not like about your life now?  
I love my current life. I’m a librarian, which is a job I love. I’m surrounded by books. I’ve a few close friends with whom I’m comfortable. So overall, I’m happy. I confess to being a little…jealous is too strong of a word, but I wish I had a family like my best friend, Tracy does. She’s married with a new baby and I hope I have that someday.

Why did you decide to attend your high school reunion? 
High school was difficult for me. I was smarter than the rest of the kids in my class, so I didn’t fit in. People didn’t talk to me unless they wanted to cheat off my homework or tests and I was more comfortable around the teachers than the students. So the thought of going to my reunion, well, I was planning to throw the invitation in the trash. But then Adam saw it when he came to pick me up one day and he convinced me to go to it, with him. I’m still not sure why I agreed.
What are your best or worst memories of high school?
 Like I said, high school was a rough time for me. I don’t have too many happy memories, other than some special teachers who made it bearable.
What are your thoughts of Adam? 
My initial thought was that he was Mr. Flashypants, all style, no substance. He was consumed by what others thought of him and by outward appearances. But as I’ve gotten to know him better, I realize that initial thought was wrong. He’s much deeper than he appears. I want to get to know him better.
Adam, what is your life like currently? 
Ha! It’s a disaster. My dad fired me from my job. I’m a lawyer at his firm and I was up for junior partner, but my cases have tanked recently due to things being misfiled and everyone is blaming me. The problem is, I didn’t do anything wrong. But my dad and everyone else thinks I’m a screw-up, so they’re not willing to consider someone else might have caused the problem. I can’t tell Dina, because who would want to date a guy whose own dad fired him? 
What were you like in high school? 
I was kind of a clown.
What were the expectations for you then?
My dad has always had high expectations of me, ridiculously high ones. And no matter how hard I try, I’ve never been able to meet them. 
Why did you decide to go to the reunion with Dina? 
Everyone should go to at least one high school reunion, if only to see how people have changed. Dina didn’t want to go to hers because she was afraid no one would know her and she’d be all alone. So I offered to take her. I’ll make sure she has fun and that people are nice to her. And she’s helping me to improve my reputation with my father, so we have a good bargain. Plus, I love spending time with her, and this just lets me extend that.

What do you think of Dina now? 
She’s amazing. I love her hair. She’s kind and intelligent and she’s able to read me better than anyone ever has, which makes me uncomfortable but is kind of nice at the same time. I almost feel like I can be myself around her. I love talking to her and she’s one of the sexiest women I’ve ever met. I can’t wait to get to know her better.

Now that sounds like wonderful reading material on a cold winter evening. Here are the buy links.

Buy Links: 


 If you would like to get in touch with Jennifer, here is her contact information.

Author Links:

Thank you, Jennifer, for introducing us to your latest book. Any comments or questions for Jennifer?

1 comment:

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